The present invention relates generally to patient management systems.
Large amounts of medical information can be gathered from patients. Storing such information in a way that all relevant information related to a particular patient is associated with that patient provides numerous benefits. Increasingly, systems dedicated to organizing medical information are becoming electronic. Electronic storage of such information allows larger amounts of information to be stored in less physical space and provides easier and convenient access to such information. These and other factors can allow customers (e.g., physician, nurse, technician, physician's assistant, etc.) who have access to such patient management systems to provide a higher level of care to patients.
In the context of implantable medical devices (IMDs), various IMD data, along with associated patient data, is sometimes stored on a common server. Such IMD data includes information related to parameters such as IMD performance (e.g., device serial number, discrete data, waveform data, etc.) and various physiological indicators of a patient (e.g., heart rhythm, blood pressure, respiration, patient activity level, heart wall motion, blood chemistry, and the like). Various types of IMDs (e.g., cardiac stimulation devices, cardioverters/defibrillators, cardiac monitors, hemodynamic monitors, neuromuscular stimulators, drug delivery devices, or other IMDs) collect and/or store such IMD data. The IMD can transmit such IMD data to the server either directly or, more commonly, indirectly, such as through an external medical device (EMD) (e.g., a programmer or remote home monitor). The EMD can also collect patient data from other sources (e.g., ECG data collected by cables connected directly to a patient) and transmit such patient data to the server. The server then stores the IMD data, along with associated patient data, and provides access to various customers. Creating and maintaining this kind of server can present numerous technical challenges.